


Drive Me, Crazy

by The Miss Paramount (Hanamuraki)



Category: Persona 5
Genre: (or partners in solving crimes), Developing Relationship, Drinking, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Partners in Crime, Persona summoning, Post-Canon, Supernatural Elements, This is not exactly a coffee shop AU, i'm going to touch all fanfic clichés with this one, mention of hospital treatments, scary kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:33:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26704516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanamuraki/pseuds/The%20Miss%20Paramount
Summary: Takuto Maruki moves to Kyoto to start over.
Relationships: Hasegawa Zenkichi/Maruki Takuto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

The rain hit the train’s window and the constant sound of it made him sleepy. He had slept for the last two hours and by the time he arrived in Kyoto, his glasses were all twisted and he had begun drooling. He sat up quickly and composed himself, he wiped the drool from his mouth and tried to remain awake for the remainder of the trip.

His arrival to Kyoto was quiet and uneventful. He didn’t know why he expected to see a familiar face greeting him at the station. He looked at his phone and noticed a few texts from Ren asking if he made it to Kyoto safely and if he needed anything.

Takuto Maruki left the station and walked into the rainy streets and regretted wearing sandals immediately. He walked as quickly as he could to get to his hotel and change his wet clothes for something warmer. After checking in and leaving his luggage inside his room, he called Ren and the others to let them know he was okay and that he was just waiting for his things to get to his new apartment before he moved in.

Before he knew it, it was already dark outside.

He stepped outside and decided to look for somewhere to find some toiletries and other stuff he needed. The town was calm and so very different from Tokyo. His steps lead him to a small convenience store where he picked some stuff. He sighed audibly. His mind was elsewhere, reflecting on what happened in Tokyo with Ren and his friends and how his heart was changed. In the end, choosing that job as a taxi driver didn’t help as much as he wished. He knew he still was around the people he had hurt and of course, he was still close to Rumi. He walked absentmindedly until his head bumped into something.

“Ow….” he mumbled. “I’m so sorry!”

He noticed a man on the floor, looking as confused as he was. Takuto blushed lightly and offered his hand. 

“I’m so sorry.” He repeated. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” The man replied drily. His eyes were grey and sharp and he was neatly dressed in a black suit. He nodded and his dark hair swayed gently as he did.

“My apologies, I was very distracted.” Takuto said, he noticed his ears were hot.

“No need to. Be more careful next time.”

“I will…” Takuto looked down and picked the stuff he had dropped. When he looked up again, the man was gone. He looked for him everywhere inside the store, but he was nowhere to be found.

He paid for the things he needed and for the first time during the day, he noticed how hungry he was. He decided to walk some more and find somewhere to eat. He wandered aimlessly for what seemed like an eternity until he got tired of walking. 

Kyoto was peaceful and quiet in comparison to Tokyo. The air entered his lungs and felt lighter. He felt free. 

He walked a few more blocks until a dimly lit izakaya with reasonable prices proved to be the easiest solution to eat something and get some rest. He was thankful that the place was half empty, as he usually was shy in crowded places. He found a place on the bar and left his things on the seat besides him. 

“Is this seat taken?”

“Huh?”

The man from the store looked at Takuto. He looked tired but his voice was more relaxed than before.

“I was asking if this seat was taken.” He looked confused. 

“Oh… no. No, don’t worry, it’s not taken.” Takuto quickly removed his bag from the seat, leaving it at his feet. “I’m so sorry, I’m so distracted tonight.”

“I see that.” He had the faintest smile on his face. “I’m Hasegawa. Zenkichi Hasegawa.”

“My name is Maruki. Takuto.” Takuto blushed against his will. “Pleased to meet you.”

Both men placed their orders. As they waited, Takuto noticed that Hasegawa had a sad look in his eyes. He had loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves and was no longer wearing a jacket. He was clearly tired and drank his beer with a devotion that Takuto had never seen before.

“The town is not very big, I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Ah!” Takuto exclaimed. “I just arrived today. I’m staying in a hotel downtown. I’m moving into an apartment as soon as the rest of my things arrive.”

“Moving from where?”

“Tokyo.” Takuto looked down. He swallowed his beer in one gulp.

Hasegawa stared at him. Takuto felt his ears getting red and hot again. 

“Why move to Kyoto then?”

“I guess I needed a fresh start.” Takuto admitted. He caught his reflection on a mirrored wall and noticed a glimpse of his own, freshly-dyed black hair. He sighed audibly and ordered another beer. “Here’s to new beginnings.”

“I suggest you don’t get in any trouble while you’re here.” Hasegawa stopped abruptly, as if he had said something wrong. “I mean… in case you’re… running from something.... I mean…”

“Eh…” Takuto blushed again. “Oh, look at the time. I guess I need to head home… I start my new job tomorrow.”

Takuto felt an unfamiliar sensation, as if he wanted to run. He had already made the encounter awkward. He left money on the counter and let his body lead him exactly where Hasegawa wasn’t.

He didn’t notice he had left his bag at the izakaya.

Once he was at his hotel room, he looked at his phone again. He had several missed calls from Ren. He dialed his number and spat:

“Ren, you’re not gonna believe what happened.”

***

Zenkichi Hasegawa stayed at the small restaurant for one more hour. He looked at the bag that the strange man had left on the floor and felt a small pang of guilt on his stomach. While he was sure he was not intimidating and that he didn’t say anything wrong, he felt that he had ruined that first approach to that strange man. 

After a couple of beers, he decided to go home. It wasn’t late, but he was sure Akane would be worried about him by now. After meeting Ren and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, his relationship with his daughter improved, but he still had a long way to go. For some reason, he wanted to tell Ren and the others about the strange bespectacled man who seemed to be very clumsy and absentminded. By the time he arrived at his apartment, Akane was asleep. 

He grabbed his laptop and sat down. He called Ren and the others.

“Hey Ren, you’re not gonna believe this.”

The Phantom Thieves stared at him in awe and looked secretly happy about the way he talked about this stranger. They wanted Zenkichi to get another chance. They saw Zenkichi

They believed in second chances.

Which was the reason why they encouraged Takuto to move to Kyoto to start over.

***

Takuto woke up the morning after. His head was hurting terribly from all the beer he had yesterday. He blushed again when he remembered Hasegawa-san from last night. To distract himself from the awkward memories and the possibility of thinking of all the different ways that night could have gone, he jumped into the shower but soon remembered he had left his bag at the restaurant.

“There is no way I’m seeing this man again, so I guess I should forget about that bag.”

After grabbing a quick breakfast, he headed to a small café close to a park where he had to meet Tanamachi-san in regards to his new job as the café manager. Before making an attempt to recover his license, he wanted to stay off the therapy and cognitive pscience path for a while and running the café for Tanamachi-san looked like a suitable opportunity.

Tanamachi-san was an older man with a gentle expression. He mentioned that he was feeling too tired to continue running the café, so he needed a new manager and Takuto Maruki seemed to be the right candidate: a gentle, kind and soft-spoken man with an earnest presence. 

Takuto and him spent the rest of the morning reviewing the café’s needs. The café had many loyal clients who usually went there for the peaceful atmosphere and the delicious coffee. Having learned a lot from Ren and Sakura-san, he knew his way around a cup of coffee and kind treatment. While working on some orders along the rest of the associates, he froze when he saw Hasegawa-san again and dropped the cup of coffee he was holding.

“Ah! It seems I’m gonna see you everywhere, Maruki-san!” Zenkichi Hasegawa said, looking at him and the mess on the floor. “Can I have a coffee and a donut, please?”

“Ah, good afternoon, Captain Hasegawa. Anything else? Takuto will be taking over my spot as the café manager so you two should get acquainted.” Tanamachi-san smiled kindly and looked at Takuto. “Takuto, would you be so kind of helping me prepare Captain Hasegawa’s order while I have a word with him?”

“Oh! Of course!” Takuto cleaned the mess and began working on Zenkichi’s order.

“Where did you find this guy?” Zenkichi asked Tanamachi-san.

“He saw the job posting before moving from Tokyo. He said he quit his job as a councillor after some personal problems and he seems to be the right fit for the job.” 

“I suggest you keep an eye out for him.” Zenkichi said. “He looks kind of suspicious. Isn’t it weird for someone to move from Tokyo and quit a decent job to move to a smaller city?”

“You don’t know what he’s going through. You’re always so quick to infer things, Captain Hasegawa!”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Tanamachi-san… Captain Hasegawa, here’s your order.” Takuto placed a cup of coffee on the table and the donut he had asked for. “Apologies for the delay.”

“Thank you, Maruki-san.” Zenkichi said, disregarding him as Takuto disappeared behind the counter.

***

The rest of the day was uneventful. Most of the café’s regulars seemed to like him. The only one who raised an eyebrow and noticed something was off was Zenkichi, but Takuto tried to dismiss the idea.

Even when he promised not to use his powers to warp cognition anymore, he had to do it to manipulate Tanamachi-san to give him the job, regardless of his lack of experience. While this was a minimum warp, he couldn’t help but feel guilty. When staring into the mirror, Adam Kadmon and Azathoth remained at his side, trying to reassure him.

He vowed never to use his powers to hurt people again. 

However, in his mind, he wanted to use his power to help others.

He thought, somehow, that Zenkichi Hasegawa was the same. He had chosen to be a policeman after all.

He didn’t understand, however, why he couldn’t stop thinking about Zenkichi Hasegawa. 

While Adam Kadmon and Azathoth couldn’t answer that for him, they noticed and felt within their spirits that Takuto drifted into a calm sleep with the words “Zenkichi Hasegawa” in his lips. 


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenkichi and Takuto need some time to be honest. And to be chased by unknown forces. This is largely unbetaed and I apologize for any inconsistencies.

Takuto moved into his new apartment at the end of the week. While his new job wasn’t significantly stressful, he was unusually tired by the moment it was time to unpack his things. He began with the things that would present the biggest challenge and then he began with his bedroom. He took some time to put his books in order and clean his bedroom. By the time he finished, he made some tea and sat down and looked at the window; the sun was setting and the sunset looked calm and reassuring.

He picked his phone and looked at Ren’s texts. He was telling him about some strange happenings outside of Tokyo and then there was an article Futaba had forwarded to him, asking him to be careful. His mind was wandering again and he kept wondering why he couldn’t stop thinking about Captain Hasegawa. 

The first thing happened very quickly. He heard the doorbell and opened the door.

Zenkichi Hasegawa was standing there. He was carrying the same bag Takuto left at the izakaya the first night he spent on Kyoto. He seemed very aloof and tried his best to avoid looking at Takuto in the eye.

“Ca… captain Hasegawa? What are you doing here?”

“Huh?” He replied.

“I’m sorry… I meant… Hello.” Takuto let him in. “I’m sorry for the mess, I just moved in and everything is all over the place.”

As they walked inside, he snapped.

“Wait… how did you know where I live?!”

“Tanamachi-san told me. I was expecting you wouldn’t hide that from him, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing in particular.” Zenkichi looked around. “Anyway, I brought you this. I had forgotten to take it to the café.”

He handed the paper bag to Takuto when the second thing happened. They heard a shriek close by and then the sound of arrows. A second sound startled them when an arrow entered through Takuto’s window. There was a blue flame on the tip and it didn’t look like a regular arrow.

“What was that?”

Zenkichi seemed alert. “Let’s get out, come on!”

Takuto ran behind Zenkichi as fast as his sandals allowed him. As they tried to flee from the arrows that landed closer and closer to them, their footsteps took them to a lonely temple.

“These are no ordinary arrows, Captain Hasegawa.” Takuto said. He was fearing just one thing and that single thing was that Zenkichi found who he truly was. 

His fear changed when he saw an arrow flying straight to Zenkichi’s chest.

“ZENKICHI!” he yelled. His golden staff materialized from thin air and blocked the arrow’s path. His clothes had changed and in front of Zenkichi, he looked like an angel or a winged saint. The storm of arrows raged and Takuto moved his staff to create a protective field around him.

“Zenkichi… Are you okay?”

“Maruki san… what are you? You too?”

“We really don’t have the time to talk right now.” His clothes changed back and he grabbed Zenkichi’s arm and ran in the opposite direction from the arrows.

They rushed into the temple’s grounds. From what Zenkichi recalled from his late wife’s teachings, hardly any evil could harm them. Takuto ran as fast as he could and found a small clear between the trees inside the temple’s grounds. He was panting and looked pale.

“You think we made it?”

“I really don’t know.” Zenkichi said. “But you have some explaining to do.”

Takuto opened his mouth to say something when he noticed a tall shadow that looked like a wyvern behind Zenkichi.

“Azathoth!” he yelled. Azathoth’s tentacles pierced through the shadow wyvern’s body. Takuto’s clothes changed again without him noticing and it took him a few seconds to realize that they were surrounded by a group of wyverns and small demons. Azathoth took as many as it could. The battle raged for a few minutes until Takuto was cornered against a tree.

“Maruki!” One of the smaller shadow demons was pressing its sharp fingernail against his neck. “VALJEAN!”

Zenkichi’s clothes changed in that moment and his Persona charged against the demon. Takuto fell on the ground panting. 

“Zenkichi…”

“We’re gonna need to fight them and then we can talk! Come on! Stand up!”

The siege continued and smaller demons and wyverns kept attacking them. Arrows were fired from the trees. Zenkichi’s clothes changed into an elegant black suit. Both had questions but they had to trust each other to fight.

After fighting the underlings, they ran back to the entrance of the temple. Takuto’s white cape had some blood stains and he looked exhausted. Zenkichi had a cut on his cheek and was trying to catch his breath.

“I don’t know how these guys do it.” He said. “I guess I’m too old for this.”

“‘These guys?’ Are you talking about… Ren and the others?” Takuto asked, his breath was labored and was using his staff to hold himself upright. 

“Do you know them too?”

“Yes… I do…”

“I guess I have some explaining to do too.”

A final arrow pierced Zenkichi’s suit. They turned around and saw a large oni standing in front of them.

“Well, I guess we need to fight again.” Zenkichi said, giving Takuto a smile. “Takuto, you’re ready?”

“I’m ready.”

Zenkichi took his sword out and approached Takuto. They ran towards the large shadow and pierced through it using both the sword and staff.

“We did it?”

“Yeah, I think we did…” 

“We should go back before anything else happens.” 

Zenkichi noticed that Takuto was limping and that he was leaning heavily on his staff.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… thank you.” He took a step and his leg gave way. 

“Maruki-san!” Both men’s clothes had changed back. He caught Takuto before he fell. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not sure.”

Takuto leaned on Zenkichi on the way back home. They climbed the stairs clumsily and nearly collapsed at the door.

“Maruki-san… are you okay?” Zenkichi repeated as Takuto walked slowly towards the couch, collapsing on it.

“I… I think I hurt my ankle.” He whimpered. 

“I mean, of course, you’re silly.” Zenkichi said. “You ran behind me wearing sandals. Here, let me check it for you.”

Zenkichi sat besides him and helped Takuto prop his foot on his lap. He gently held it and checked for any injury. It wasn’t swollen but there was a small bruise forming on the ankle. 

“Do you have any bandages I can use?”

“Over there.” Takuto pointed at an open box. Zenkichi stood up and looked for the bandages, he came back and began wrapping Takuto’s ankle. A shiver traveled down his spine when Zenkichi’s long fingers grazed his toes. He flinched and Zenkichi noticed. “Did I hurt you?”

“N… no…” Takuto managed to say. “Thank… thank you…”

“This should do until a doctor can see you.” Zenkichi held Takuto’s foot on his hands, gently cupping it. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Not really… Oh… Captain Hasegawa… your clothes.” Takuto smiled. Zenkichi’s jacket had some tears and Takuto noticed a violent gash on his pale skin. “I can give you some clothes to change and I can take a look at that.”

“I’m sorry, Maruki-san. I hope it is not too much to ask, but can I take a bath?” 

“Ah… yes, of course… I will look for some clothes that fit in the meantime.”

Takuto walked gingerly to his room while Zenkichi was in the bathroom. He found a Featherman shirt and a pair of loose pajama bottoms. He couldn’t understand, but he was blushing at the thought of it. He left the clothes where Zenkichi would be able to reach them. 

After thirty minutes, Zenkichi came out dressed. His dark hair was wet and he looked infinitely more tired than Takuto.

“Are you okay?”

“Why… yes. I’m fine.” Zenkichi said. “We have some items to talk about, Maruki-san.”

“Takuto. You can call me Takuto.” He said. “And yes, we do.”

“Do you have something to eat?”

Takuto blushed. He remembered that Ren packed some instant noodles for him but he had completely forgotten about buying actual food. 

“I have some instant noodles, but nothing else, really.” Takuto blushed again. “I can order something and we can sit down and talk.”

***

After Takuto cleaned the wound on Zenkichi’s ribs, they waited for dinner in silence. They didn’t know exactly how to begin. Zenkichi called Akane as Takuto received the pizza he ordered. 

“Are you… are you going home?” Takuto asked. He sounded as if he was begging him to stay.

“No… my daughter is staying over at her friend’s. I will pick her up tomorrow morning. I can stay… if you want me to”

“You… you have a daughter?” Takuto’s disappointment was evident. “I didn’t know you had a family, Captain Hasegawa.”

“It’s just Akane and myself, Takuto.” He replied, simply. “My wife died a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry to know that.” Takuto said sincerely. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t seem like a person with an easy past either… so… are you telling me?”

“You’re in for a long night, Captain.”

“Zenkichi.”

Takuto told him about Rumi and his research and how he awoke to his Persona. He broke down telling him about what happened with Sumire and the others and how he had a Palace due to the distortion he caused. Then the story had another turn when Ren and his friends saved him from dying and gave him a new chance. He also admitted manipulating Tanamachi-san’s cognition so he could get the job.

“Are you saying your powers are big enough to cause a distortion in reality?”

“Kind of. I… I just didn’t… I didn’t want to see a world with so much suffering.” Takuto smiled sadly. “It got out of hand and my desires were out of control and… Ren and his friends… they saved me.”

“But you vowed never to do it again?”

Takuto’s smile became sadder.

“I only had to do it with Tanamachi san so I could get the job.” He said. “And to escape from whatever thing was chasing us.”

“What do you think that was?”

“I guess we would need to ask Futaba about it.” Takuto said. He looked at Zenkichi. “What about you? I didn’t know you had a Persona!”

“I found out… last year. Ren and The Phantom Thieves were visiting and they helped me realize what I was missing… and it all improved my relationship with Akane. It is all a work in progress, but it’s… better. Although…”

“What?”

“I haven’t seen Valjean in a little over a year. I have found myself in danger before, but Valjean hasn’t appeared until… well, until you were in danger.”

Takuto blushed again. He couldn’t understand why Zenkichi made him feel like that. He grabbed another slice of pizza.

“Do you want to stop by the café tomorrow so we can talk about what happened? I’m tired.” Takuto said, standing carefully. His ankle was throbbing. “It’s on the house, of course.”

“Sure. Yes.”

“Zenkichi… You can stay in my bed if you want. You did… a lot today. I know all this takes a toll on your body.”

“Where are you sleeping?”

“The couch. It’s pretty comfortable. I got it ages ago and could never bring myself to get rid of it.”

“Alright… well… thanks for your hospitality… Takuto.”

“No problem.” Takuto smiled fondly. “Good night, Zenkichi.”

***

The morning after, Takuto noticed his whole body ached deeply. He was wondering if Zenkichi was the same. He limped to the kitchen and prepared a humble cereal breakfast and some coffee. His ankle was still hurting, but it was bearable to walk on it.

He walked to his bedroom and noticed that the morning sunlight was hitting the bed and Zenkichi’s pale face was illuminated by it. However, he noticed that he was curled and seemed to be in a great deal of pain. He sat on the edge of the bed and his fingers grazed Zenkichi’s back.

“Zenkichi… are you okay?”

Even through the pain, Takuto couldn’t help but notice that Zenkichi’s facial features were beautiful. Strong and serious, but at the same time, he remembered that his eyes showed kindness and compassion. He tried to shake the thought of Zenkichi’s beauty but he couldn’t.

“Zenkichi?”

Takuto touched his shoulder and Zenkichi flinched. He let out a cry of pain as he sat up.

“Takuto… I…”

“Are you okay?”

“I… I… I'm not, I’m sorry.” Zenkichi looked at him. He grabbed his glasses and looked at Takuto. He stood up as quickly as he could. “I will meet you at the café later today. I have to pick Akane up from her friend’s house.”

He stood up and stumbled and picked his wallet and badge.

“Thank you for letting me stay. I will see you later.”

“But… Zenkichi… are you alright?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

And he disappeared behind the door, leaving Takuto in a confused mess. 

***

Takuto stopped by the clinic later that morning to get his ankle checked. The doctor at the clinic diagnosed him with a sprain and carefully wrapped it. While the nurse was finishing his paperwork, his mind wandered and he found himself thinking about Zenkichi and how he held his foot the night before and the electric feeling traveling through his body when he touched his skin. 

“Alright, Dr. Maruki, please make sure to come back next week to get it checked again, alright?” The nurse gave him a smile. “Try to take it easy.”

Takuto thanked them and left for the café. He informed Tanamachi san that he had a small accident and that he would focus on the admin work of the café rather than serving customers. 

The hours passed slowly as he put the café’s paperwork in order and Zenkichi didn’t show up. It was not long before the closing time when Takuto realized that Zenkichi was not coming. He stared at the window and watched the rain fall. Even after the closing time, he stayed at the café, holding on to the hope that Zenkichi would show up.

In the end, he walked home alone after the rain cleared.

He decided to put some pieces together by calling Ren and Futaba.

If Zenkichi was playing detective, he could too.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to Gil for encouraging me! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takuto finds some truths. And some truths get revealed on their own.

Zenkichi never showed up at the café. 

Takuto was worried, but he carried on with his job at the café. Tanamachi-san was pleased with his work: most clients left happy after talking to Takuto and usually returned the day after searching for his advice and the coffee he happily made for everyone. The days passed without Zenkichi showing up at the cafe. Takuto noticed that other members of the Kyoto police visited the café normally but he didn’t muster the courage to ask about Zenkichi.

Two weeks went by until he gathered all the courage he could and talked to one of Zenkichi’s colleagues.

“Excuse me… I’m sorry to bother you, have you seen Captain Hasegawa?” Takuto smiled kindly, placing a cup of coffee besides the officer. “I haven’t seen him lately.”

“He’s on a personal leave, Maruki-san, we haven’t heard of him lately either.”

“Oh… I hope he is doing fine.” Takuto smiled again as he saw the officer pulling his wallet out to pay. “It’s on the house! Thank you for coming!”

“Oh, Maruki-san, you keep spoiling us. Thank you!”

***

Zenkichi liked rainy days as long as he didn’t have to go anywhere. 

He had been able to hide this from Akane and the corporation, but he was completely sure he would need to talk to someone about it eventually.

He thought about Takuto Maruki, but he dismissed the thought immediately. 

His issues began after he awakened to his Persona, Valjean. It started with some inflammation on his joints to later become a more generalized and debilitating pain. His treatment began almost right after the diagnosis and often left him in a miserable state. The joint pain reduced as the treatment continued and his hair got thin (but thankfully never fell in an alarming way) but still, he had to disappear for a few hours to get his infusions done, and, in most cases, try to go about with his day as best as he could without telling anyone what he was going through. 

He suddenly remembered that he had told Takuto he would show up at the café to talk. 

He sighed. He hadn’t been able to show up at the café for two weeks. 

Deep inside him, he wanted to talk to Takuto about what happened at his apartment. 

But the visit would have to wait, at least until things were less of a mess for him. 

***

During his break, Takuto decided to call Ren.

“Hello Ren… it’s me, Takuto. I’m sorry to call you like this.” 

“Oh, Dr. Maruki, how are you doing?” Ren answered calmly. “How are you liking Kyoto?”

“It’s not bad. I definitely… I liked the change. Listen… I don’t have a lot of time but can you ask Futaba something for me?”

“Sure. She is right here.”

“Ah… I met a person. Hasegawa. Zenkichi. The name may sound familiar. I was wondering if there’s something up… with him?”

He heard Futaba standing up and grabbing the phone from Ren’s hand.

“What do you mean with something?”

“I… don’t know… anything?”

Futaba sighed and then gasped.

“Ahm. Maruki, I will text you an address. He has an appointment there in roughly 20 minutes. I suggest that for his sake… bring some light snacks. He will be there for a while. You owe me one.”

“Ah… What does this mean?”

“You will see for yourself when you get there. AND!” Futaba stopped in her usual fashion. “If you tell him where the info came from, I have contacts in the Featherman fandom that could ruin your life in a second.”

“More?” Takuto laughed. “Wait… this address… is a hospital? Is Zenkichi okay?”

“Mwehehehehe you’re on a first-name basis with Zenkichi! Well, whatever is up with him, it’s up for you to find out.” Futaba hummed. “Okay, go now!”

Futaba hung up. Takuto looked at the half-empty café and then at the employees who were looking after the bar.

“Hey, Sakuragi-kun, can you do me a favor?” 

Sakuragi, who was just wrapping up a customer’s order, looked at Takuto and smiled kindly.

“Of course! What is it?”

“I need you to stay in charge for today. I have some errands to make. You can take this weekend off as a reward, but I really need to do this.”

“Sure!”

“Thanks, Sakuragi-kun!” Takuto said, throwing the café’s keys at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Takuto took his jacket and stepped out from the café. He followed the directions that Futaba had texted him. The hospital was closer to the café than he expected. He approached the reception and took a deep breath, trying to bring himself back to reality by touching the apple juice box and the snacks he had inside his jacket’s pocket. 

“Good afternoon, I’m sorry to bother you. I’m looking for a patient. Hasegawa, Zenkichi. Do you know where I can find him?” Takuto stopped and sighed. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say next. “I wanted to make sure he is okay and not alone in… the process.”

“Sure. You can find him at wing 108. You can follow the corridor and you’ll get to the elevators. That’s on the first floor.”

Takuto smiled and thanked the nurse at the reception kindly. He clumsily made his way to the elevators and then walked slowly, counting the numbers of the private wings… 101… 102...103… 104… 105… 106… 107…

108.

He knocked carefully before opening the door, the room was dimly lit and then he saw Zenkichi.

Zenkichi was sitting on a reclinable chair. Takuto tried to put on his neutral expression as he entered the room. 

“You?” Zenkichi asked. He sounded as surprised as he was offended.

“I… I… I was…”

“Oh, Captain Hasegawa, I’m glad you brought someone to take you home today. I told you the treatment would be rough so I’m really glad you did.” A young doctor greeted Takuto with a smile. “He is a bit stubborn, but this is nothing to worry about. It’s just an infusion that will help him feel better… I’m sure you’re aware of Captain Hasegawa’s situation.”

“Ah…” Takuto felt Zenkichi’s piercing stare. “Yes, I do.”

“Well, I hope you’ve brought some light snacks for when you take him home.” The doctor gave them a polite smile and went on to check on some files. “Have a seat, please.”

Zenkichi, who had remained silent, but kept staring firmly at Takuto as he sat down, finally spoke:

“What  _ the fuck _ are you doing here? Who told you? Did you follow me?”

“I… I really can’t tell you who told me, but you probably know already. I was worried about you. I never imagined…” Takuto stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“I will tell you outside. Not here.”

They spent an hour, sitting, staring at each other. There was an IV drip that was slowly emptying and was hooked to Zenkichi’s arm. For the very first time, Takuto noticed his slender and muscular arms. He tried to distract himself from thinking about the veins in his arm and his long fingers. 

The room suddenly felt very hot.

By the time the nurse carefully removed the IV from Zenkichi’s arm, Takuto sighed in relief as Zenkichi rolled his sleeve down, covering it. He stood up, but immediately collapsed back on his seat.

“Oh god…”

“Ah yes, Captain Hasegawa. I forgot to tell you, today’s dose was a little bit higher than the ones we’ve been handling which is why I’m glad your friend is here to help you get home. You’ll feel dizzy but I expect your friend will bring you some light snacks and then you can try something more solid at night.”

“He… yes, I understand.” Zenkichi grabbed Takuto’s arm almost instinctively. “Can you take my car keys? They’re inside my pocket.”

“S… sure…” Takuto put his hands inside of Zenkichi’s pocket and swore he could almost feel his narrow waist if he touched a little bit deeper. He found the keys and noticed that his face felt hot. He noticed the keychain attached and couldn’t help feeling guilty.

It was a family picture.

“Zenkichi… shall we go? Do you feel okay?” Takuto asked sincerely, holding Zenkichi’s arm. “Am I hurting you?”

“No. Just move. We’ll talk outside.”

They made their way to Zenkichi’s car, stopping every now and then when Zenkichi felt nauseous. When they finally made it, Zenkichi collapsed on the back seat.

“I don’t expect you have something to… eat, do you?”

Takuto stared at the floor. He dug in his pockets and remembered that he had put a small apple juice and some saltine crackers for a counseling session. As a precaution, Takuto checked the expiration date before handing them to Zenkichi. He helped Zenkichi sit up and drink the juice before noticing a slight fever.

“Are you okay?” Takuto asked. “Shouldn’t you return to the hospital?”

“Nah, it usually goes away whenever I eat something.” Zenkichi sighed as he lied down on the backseat of the car again. “I guess I owe you an explanation now. For the juice and the crackers.”

“You don’t need to explain anything if you don’t want to.”

“Well, it all started after Ren and the others left. Some aches here and there until my whole body was too achy to move. I didn’t even tell Akane and tried to go about with my life.”

Takuto remained silent. 

“There was a raid and I pretended I fell from the stairs so I could have someone check on me. The doctors definitely said there might be something wrong with me and that’s when all the testing began. I’m sure Futaba was able to hack it with no problem. I have arthritis. I come here every other month to get an infusion to reduce the amount of medication I have to take.”

“Now Futaba will send the Featherman fandom after me…” Takuto laughed. 

“Excuse me?”

“I understand why you want to keep it hidden but…”

“You’re not gonna try to create a happy fucking world where I’m not sick and Aoi is still alive, right?”

Takuto felt the tears forming in his eyes.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I know Ren and the others as well as you do.” Zenkichi sighed, his eyes still closed. “They told me the scope of your powers and you’re no small thing, Maruki.”

“Like I care enough about you to do that.” Takuto laughed coldly.

“I wish you did.” The words came out as an almost inaudible whisper.

They suddenly looked at each other. Zenkichi’s blue eyes were fixed on Takuto’s dark eyes. There was only silence between them but it was not an uncomfortable one. Takuto felt at ease and Zenkichi no longer looked like he was hunting for something. The moment lasted for only a few seconds until they heard a loud explosion coming from the other side of the parking lot.

“What was that?”

“I think we should have probably talked about that with Futaba.” Zenkichi said. “Damn it!”

“You’re in no condition to fight, Zenkichi. But… Can you drive?” Takuto asked. “Maybe we can take advantage of your car.”

Zenkichi nodded. 

“We don’t know what we’re facing this time, Takuto. Are you ready to fight?” 

“I… I don’t know. I will try.”

“We might as well try to fight as best as we can, let’s go!” 

Zenkichi drove as fast as he could to the other side of the parking lot where the forest began. He noticed that there was something that looked like a ghost child at the edge of the forest, standing before the fire.

“Takuto, summon your Persona, we don’t know what that is… also… have you ever used a gun?”

“N… no…”

“Okay, may as well get started.” Zenkichi handed him his gun. “Just try it if you feel in danger and I will provide cover.” 

Takuto got out of the car and before he noticed, Azathoth was beside him. He adjusted his glasses but the heat from the explosion was burning his face. 

“Zenkichi… is that… a shadow?”

“No, you idiots.” Futaba’s voice came from Zenkichi’s car speakers. “I detect readings similar to a shadow from it, but it’s not entirely a shadow… it’s a human, but you still need to fight it!”

“How do we…?”

“You have three Personas, you can surely figure this out.”

“Takuto, try firing at it!”

“But Futaba said it’s a human!”

“THAT THING IS NOT A HUMAN, FIRE!”

The first attack came from the ghost child and almost hit Zenkichi. Takuto felt anger and fired. The recoil hurt his arm, but he was able to distract the creature.

“NOT HIM! NOT ZENKICHI.” He screamed. With terror, he noticed that there was not a single soul in the parking lot and the lights from the hospital were off. The second flurry of fire came from a different direction, but aimed straight at Zenkichi.

“Azathoth, protect him, don’t let him get hurt. No matter what you do, don’t let go of him. If something comes after him, fight.”

Azathoth’s tentacles covered Zenkichi’s car.

“Takuto! Are you stupid or something?” Futaba yelled from the speakers. “You cannot summon another Per…”

But Takuto’s clothes had changed. His staff appeared in his hands and Adam Kadmon was by his side.

“Futaba, if you can still hear me, guide me to its position. My mind almost physically blinds me so you’re gonna be my eyes.”

“Alright… I’m gonna recalculate its position. NOW! At six o’clock, fire it with all you got, Takuto!”

Takuto and Adam Kadmon concentrated their power to neutralize the ghost child. 

“Oh, man, we didn’t get him.” Futaba moaned. 

“Is Zenkichi alright?”

“Trapped under all the tentacles, but alright!” Futaba gasped. “TAKUTO, right above Zenkichi.”

Blindly, Takuto ran in the direction where he thought the car would be and jumped. He used his staff and with relative ease, he pierced a solid body. 

Then he felt his own body fall to the floor and another foreign body dropping close to the car. Without being able to see, he shot in that direction.

“Is Zenkichi alright?”

“Yes, the target is neutralized. Let go of the tentacles, Takuto!”

His vision returned slowly, he saw a small child lying on the ground. Azathoth let go of Zenkichi’s car and Takuto heard Zenkichi yelling at me. He smiled. His body hurt but Zenkichi was safe.

“Takuto Maruki, you idiot.” Zenkichi kneeled beside him, Takuto’s head rested on his lap. “Are you okay?”

“Never better.” Takuto smiled. “Are you okay? Is anything bothering you?”

“Well, we might need to take that thing to the hospital and find a way to fix you… but I’m okay. Thanks to you.”

“HEY YOU TWO! I’M STILL HERE” Futaba yelled from the car’s speakers. “Take the kid to the hospital and we will talk later, lovebirds.”

Takuto laughed quietly. He looked up and saw Zenkichi. He smiled peacefully. His ribs hurt. 

***

Zenkichi handled things to the best extent he could. The thing that they swore was a ghost turned out to be a child and they just explained that he fell from a tree when leaving him at the hospital. Takuto tried to remain in one piece, but by the time they were heading to Zenkichi’s apartment, he had fallen asleep on the passenger’s seat. 

Akane was cooking dinner when they made it to the apartment. She looked at Takuto and ran to hug his dad. In a way, he was happy that things have changed so much she would do that unprompted but was somehow worried it was an effect from having Takuto nearby. His thoughts shut down a little bit after he considered how little Takuto knew about him in reality.

“Is that a friend of yours?” Akane asked. “He doesn’t look too good.”

“Oh, yes, he is looking after Tanamachi san’s café but he was feeling sick and I decided to bring him over. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know.”

“I’ll set the table for two and I will leave you to talk, dad.” 

“You don’t have to,” Takuto said softly, “I will be taking my leave soon.”

“Nonsense. Have a seat. Akane’s cooking is great!”

The rest of the evening was pleasant. Akane talked to them about school and Takuto found himself smiling and laughing quietly. By the time Akane went to bed, Zenkichi looked at him. 

“I’m sorry… for treating you like that at the hospital. If you hadn’t been there, we… I wouldn’t have had the chance to see Akane anymore…”

“It’s okay.” Takuto replied. “I should get going… I don’t want to be a bother.”

Zenkichi stood up silently and walked into his room, giving Takuto the chance to look at his surroundings. The apartment seemed cozier than he expected, considering how reserved and cold Zenkichi was. There were pictures of Akane and him, smiling, something unusual for Takuto, as he seldom saw Zenkichi smiling. 

“Come here. You’ll sleep in my bed.”

Takuto didn’t protest. He collapsed on the bed and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

***

The morning after, he swore he could feel a pair of warm lips on his forehead.

“I’m sorry, go back to sleep.” 

“Zenkichi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for being patient with me as I tried to deal with stuff and changes as they were thrown at me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenkichi and Takuto take a new step.

Takuto took a few minutes to come into his senses as he tried to find out if those lips were Zenkichi’s or if that soft kiss was just part of his imagination. He looked at the old night clock Zenkichi had on his night table and when his eyes came to focus, he woke up abruptly.

“FUCK! It’s almost 8:00” Takuto flinched at his unusual swearing. “I should have opened the café at 7:00, damn.”

He woke up and noticed he still had his clothes on.

“Zenkichi… Can we meet at the café? We close at 10:00, it should be pretty quiet by then.”

“You’re leaving so soon?”

“Yes… Tanamachi san and Sakuragi kun must be waiting for me, although Sakuragi has the keys. Hopefully he had opened by now.”

“It’s Saturday… Can’t you stay at least for breakfast?”

“I have to run for now, but I can see you later. We have a lot to talk about and… probably Futaba may want to talk to us about what happened.”

Takuto grabbed his jacket and ran to the café. His body was still achy from the night before and he couldn’t shake the idea of Zenkichi’s lips pressing gently against his forehead while he was asleep.

The day at the café was uneventful. Takuto did his best to stay focused and talk to the customers as amicably as he could, trying to poke to see if someone knew about the events that happened to them or if something showed up in the news. 

The closing hour came and Takuto nervously looked around for Zenkichi.

He sighed deeply. He knew he wasn’t coming.

He counted five minutes.

Zenkichi was standing in front of the café smoking a cigarette. He crossed the street carelessly and entered the store without looking at Takuto.

“Hey…”

“Hi!” Takuto said nervously. “Welcome, do you want coffee?”

“Let’s go get something stronger. Same izakaya?”

“Yes.. Yes!”

A ring came from both their phones simultaneously.

_ “You idiots, go to Takuto’s place and call me from there. Order something!” _

They both stared at each other.

_ “Come on! MOVE! You need to talk to us about what happens.” _

Zenkichi and Takuto shrugged and finished closing the café. They picked some food on the way to Takuto’s apartment without saying a word. They occasionally crossed a look and immediately looked away.

Takuto’s apartment was tidy, except for a few empty cans of coffee and beer that he had left on the kitchen counter. 

“Do you mind if I smoke?” Zenkichi asked finally.

“Not at all, although….” He stopped and changed what he wanted to say. “Can I have one?”

“Sure.”

“I think… we should call Futaba and the others.”

Takuto disappeared into his room and found his old laptop, he placed it on the table and sat down with Zenkichi.

“Oh you idiots, what took you so long?”

“I’m sorry, we were just picking some food before we came home. It seems we’re in for a long night.”

“Alright. Futaba, we have had two strange encounters since Takuto moved into Kyoto and I think it doesn’t have to do with anything that involves the police.”

“And neither we’re dealing with shadows… right?”

“Of course not. I’m detecting some strong readings in Kyoto, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what they are and where they come from.” Futaba said as Ren and Ryuji appeared in the camera. “All we know is they are not regular shadows but they can be fought with Personas so they may be something else… Tell me, what did you see exactly?”

“The first time this happened…” Takuto tried to recall. “Zenkichi was here in my apartment and someone… something fired a projectile at us.” 

“And Zenkichi was in your apartment?” Ryuji said, unable to hide his smile.

“Yes… and then we heard something coming from a temple nearby.”

“But Zenkichi was in your apartment?” Ryuji poked again.

“Cut it, Ryuji!” Futaba said, taking a bag of chips from Ryuji’s hands. “Okay, and you ran after it?”

“Yes… we went to the temple’s grounds.” Zenkichi said. “Aoi would have done that.”

Takuto gasped and blushed.

“Then something began chasing us until we had to fight it. Our… Personas manifested. They did that… on their own.” Takuto said. “Before that, you know they manifested at my will when I did… well, you know what I did.”

“Takuto and I had to fight. I didn’t know this guy was capable of combat in the way he was, but we ended up pretty beaten up after that. We stayed together in Takuto’s apartment to see if they will come for us again but nothing happened.”

“Oh, he’s pretty capable of doing other things, with those tentacles,” Yusuke interrupted, absentmindedly. “Combat-wise, I mean.”

“Then we saw a flock of wyverns and an oni.” Zenkichi said, completely disregarding Yusuke. “But there was something else controlling them. We got rid of it, but we didn’t really see what was really attacking us.” 

“So next time… I sent Takuto to find you at the hospital and you said it happened again, but you saw something different.” Futaba began. Takuto opened his mouth to say something when Zenkichi snapped.

“You told him!”

“I couldn’t find any other way to make you two morons talk! Takuto performed the mission to the best level he could.”

“We can fight over who sent who later, guys.” Ren said. “But you guys were able to take them down, right?”

“Takuto did, I had… had just finished my treatment at the hospital and didn’t let me fight.”

“Oh, now you’re playing doctor!” Ryuji teased, laughing. “SWEET!”

“RYUJI!” Morgana meowed. “Come on, let’s get out!”

Morgana chased Ryuji and Yusuke out of the picture, leaving Ren and Futaba to talk.

“Did you see something, Maruki?”

“When I… When I summoned Azathoth and Adam Kadmon at the same time, my vision was very blurry but I saw something. It was like a small child. Like a small ghost. I couldn’t see very clearly.” 

“And you, Zenkichi?”

“I was trapped under all of those tentacles while he fought outside.”

“Ugh, you guys are useless.” Futaba growled. “Okay, so next time you are attacked, we need you to fight with your physical resources until you’ve grown strong enough to use your Personas without any effects.”

“What do you mean?” Zenkichi asked. “This guy was capable of distorting reality and had… a palace? And yet…?”

Takuto smiled sadly.

“After their heist… they stole my heart and while Adam Kadmon and Azathoth remained inside of me, my powers are not strong as they were. I don’t have a distorted desire that can manifest those things anymore.”

“But I… “ Zenkichi looked at his hands and then at Takuto.

“You guys just need to train like The Phantom Thieves did!” Morgana meowed. “It’s like you’re starting from the very beginning.”

“But what if this is larger than us?” Takuto asked. “I don’t want to lose Zenkichi… or anyone to this.”

“Then you need to get ready to investigate and train as much as you can.” Futaba said. “No excuses. And be true to each other.”

“True…?” Zenkichi’s lips twisted.

Then he remembered the previous night. He remembered that Takuto had looked after him, despite his behavior. He recalled, quite startled, that he could hear Azathoth’s tentacles whispering things while he was inside the car.

_ “You’re mad because he found out what was happening to you, don’t you?” _

And then the same voice from another direction.  _ “I can feel your true feelings for Takuto.” _

He could hear the shots outside, but the voice sounded like Takuto’s but more peaceful. “ _ He’s using his soul to protect you.”  _ The car was dark and he couldn’t see anything but the strangely soothing glow of the tentacles.  _ “Don’t be afraid, tell him. This is all real. You know it because you’re afraid right now.” _

“Zenkichi?! You’re all spaced out.” Futaba said. “Anyway, plan for next time, fight using conventional methods and use your Personas only if you’re in real danger. And keep in touch.”

The screen was suddenly black again.

“Uhm… Zenkichi?” Takuto gently placed his hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to take something? We have some food.”

“I was just thinking.” Zenkichi said. “Were you trying to tell me something while I was in the car?”

“Uh… well, I was trying to get rid of whatever was going on. Not too much time to think.”

“Ah… Alright, I see.” Zenkichi looked away and grabbed one of the instant ramen cups. “Do you want some of these?”

“Are you okay?”

“Sure am.”

“Okay. It seems we’re in it together for a while.” Takuto said. “You will tell me if something is worrying you, right?”

Zenkichi spaced out again. He thought of Takuto lying on his bed and drooling on the pillow. He remembered that, almost impulsively, he kissed Takuto’s forehead before he woke up because he didn’t have any other way to tell him.

“Zenkichi?”

“Huh?”

“Are you okay? Do you want to go home? We can walk together.”

Zenkichi nodded. He put the instant ramen down and picked his jacket from the sofa. The cold air made him think clearly.

_ All of this is real, you should tell him. _

“What?”

“I didn’t say anything!” Takuto shrugged.

Zenkichi pulled a cigarette out from the packet he had inside his pocket and offered one to Takuto.

_ “All of this is real. Why are you running from him?” _

“Did you say something, Takuto?”

“No. I’m just trying to keep you company while you zone off. But it’s okay. We’re almost there.”

“Can your Persona communicate with other people?”

“Ahm… I guess yes. They talked to me often but I sometimes think they are something else besides my own soul so… I don’t know.” Takuto said, exhaling smoke. Against the pale moonlight, he looked almost angelical. “There is still so much i don’t understand about the cognitive world even if I researched it for years.”

“Yeah… I guess I should do some more research myself.”

“You can have all the stuff I researched.” Takuto offered.

“No… it’s something else i need to do first.” Zenkichi smiled for the first time in the night. “Well, thanks for walking with me. I’ll see you later, right?”

It sounded more like a wish rather than a statement.

“Yes. Come to the café. You know where I am.”

***

Zenkichi spent the next two days working at the station, asking for his colleagues to bring him coffee so he could avoid thinking of Takuto for a moment. Some of them told him Takuto asked about him and that a new friend of his was at the café at the time and making friendly talk with everyone while he waited for Takuto to be free. Zenkichi politely raised an eyebrow when he heard this and drank his coffee. He waited for his lunch hour to walk there and talk to Takuto and scare that friend of his.

He walked to the café and saw a young man sitting by the window. Takuto was busy at the counter finishing some orders with his usual smile.

“Takuto!”

“Good afternoon, Zenkichi!” He said, waving his customers off. “Here, my good friend Shibusawa came to visit and for a consultation! This is captain Zenkichi Hasegawa.”

“So… friends? From where?”

“Pleased to meet you, captain Hasegawa.” Shibusawa said, drinking from a cup of coffee. “I met Takuto a few years ago, when he was still with Rumi and we were in college. He’s one of my best friends and I actually had to come across his friend Ren to find out he moved to Kyoto!”

“Then you weren’t a very good friend to begin with because he would have told you about this.”

Zenkichi walked to Takuto and kissed him deeply, feeling his confusion at first and then how he gave in to the kiss and reciprocated it with an equal and loving feel. Their first kiss was an infinitely tender thing, made of confusion and fear of new beginnings, but powerful enough to make both shake.

“He would have told you this if you were a good friend.”

Before Takuto reached out for a second kiss, they heard the sound of a thunder hitting a tree nearby. Except for Shibusawa, the store was now empty.

Takuto grabbed Zenkichi’s gun and hit the back of Shibusawa’s neck.

“I’m sorry, I will explain everything later.” He looked at Zenkichi and pulled his tie to kiss him again. “You have some explaining to do too, but we need to see what’s happening.”

They pulled Shibusawa to the back of the store.

“You’re ready for this?”

A second thunder hit the ground with a crashing roar. A third kiss happened. An ignored text from Futaba read:

_ “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s take them down” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kicking off Maruki week with a bit of Hasemaru for context! Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takuto and Zenkichi dig further about themselves and get a bit hurt. Some familiar faces appear to help.

A week after what Takuto and Zenkichi collectively called “The Shibusawa Incident” they finally decided to put some research into the weird happenings around them. With the help from Futaba and the Thieves, they tried to find some leads about what happened. Neither Zenkichi’s nor Takuto’s phone showed any indication of the Metaverse navigator, which meant that all of that happened in the real world.

They truly had no leads, except that whatever threatened them made their Personas appear. Nobody in town talked about it. Even Shibusawa was unaware of it (Zenkichi interrogated him before Takuto was able to erase the events of the day from his memory).

The first true lead that they found was when Takuto was visiting Zenkichi’s house. Akane had told him to stay silent, as she was recording a video for her followers. She was baking some small apple pies as Takuto could judge from the smell. She demonstrated every single part of the recipe while imitating different voices. Towards the end of the recording, she mentioned that she would donate half of the pies she baked to a local orphanage and the rest she would sell to make a donation to the same institution.

Takuto made a small noise. 

“Oh, Maruki-san, I will have to edit this from the video.”  
“So you’re donating half of these to an orphanage?” He asked. “Are they having an event?”  
“It’s not that… My school’s counsellor is a volunteer there, she says that the kids are getting less and less visits and as a result… The kids are getting depressed. Some of them are falling ill. She brought the issue up at my school and they said we can support them. We’re even planning a small fair but we need funds.”  
“Hmmm and you’re asking your followers to see if they can donate, right?”  
“Yes! I don’t have a lot of them but I think everything counts, Maruki-san.”  
“I will talk to Tanamachi-san at the café to see if he will let you sell your pies there. I don’t think he will say no to that.”  
Akane’s face was bright.  
“Really?”  
“Yes… But do you think I can help you bring the other half there tomorrow? It’s my day off.”  
“That would be amazing. But… don’t you want to spend the day with Zenkichi? I mean, dad. It’s good you two are friends.”  
“Eh… I don’t think it will take us that long, right?” He noticed his ears were getting hot.  
“Okay, we’ll meet at 8:00 in front of my school.” She said. “Are you waiting for dad? You’re having dinner with us?”  
“I was actually planning to cook for you too, since I have had dinner here too many times! I wanted to thank you for your hospitality.”  
“Awesome! I can help you if you want.”  
“It’s an awesome curry recipe I managed to get from some friends in Tokyo.” 

They cooked and waited for Zenkichi to come back home.   
“Akane and her classmates have a wonderful project at the local orphanage.”  
“Ah yes?” Zenkichi said, his mouth full of rice. “What is it?”  
“We’re selling food and desserts to donate the profits there.” She told her father. “And Maruki-san is coming with me tomorrow to bring some of the pies I baked to the kids there!”  
“That’s so kind of you, Takuto.”  
“No problem.” Takuto said, giving Zenkichi a look. “We should go for a walk, the weather is amazing right now.”  
“I don’t think I will join you,” Akane said, “my stream will begin shortly. Thanks for the dinner, Maruki-san!”  
“You’re welcome, Akane!”  
Akane disappeared into her bedroom leaving Zenkichi and Takuto alone.  
“Wanna go for a walk?”  
“Sure.”

  
Outside, Zenkichi silently offered Takuto a cigarette. They walked in silence to a small garden close to Zenkichi’s place. There was an impending feeling of dread as they noticed the streets were desert.  
“Thanks.”  
“Takuto, are you okay?”  
“I’m thinking. It’s weird that Akane mentioned that some of the children were falling ill at the orphanage.”  
“What do you mean?” Zenkichi said, exhaling smoke slowly.  
“I saw a small child when we got attacked at the hospital.” Takuto said. “We took the kid or whatever the hell it was to the hospital.”  
Zenkichi nodded.  
“Then Shibusawa said he saw a kid standing on the roof of the building across the street.” Takuto began. “He was there when we took Shibusawa to the hospital but then vanished completely.”  
“Ah yes, Shibusawa.”  
“We have to talk about that. It’s been over a week and we haven’t found out anything. Nothing has happened either.”  
“The previous attacks had some space between them as well, Takuto.” Zenkichi said finally. “I don’t see a pattern yet.”  
“Me neither.” Takuto exhaled smoke as he spoke. “But I feel it might be related to the orphanage.”  
“What makes you think that?  
“I called Shibusawa for that reason.” Takuto said, taking another cigarette from Zenkichi. “He was studying trauma in children. He doesn’t have an idea of the cognitive world but… I think his research could have helped us. I worked with many children when… I…. when I…”  
“When you distorted reality?” Zenkichi said. “Listen, you’re going to need to talk more openly about that.”   
“Yeah. I changed their reality but… their grief was enough for me to power smaller distortions in reality, like rifts... I absorbed some of the power and I guess that’s what lets me erase memories.”  
“Rifts?”   
“That’s what let me create a whole palace. I harnessed my own distortion, but the distortion I ‘fixed’ in others remained in me in some way.”  
“Can you create a rift right now?”  
“I don’t think so, Zenkichi. It takes an immense amount of energy and without a source I’m afraid I will just pass out or something.”  
“Do you think I can do that?”  
“Honestly? No.” Takuto looked down and stepped on his last cigarette butt before picking it up. “It’s a painful process. I don’t think you’d like to try. You never tried to do what I did. And I don’t think you’re that kind of person either.”  
“Try me.”  
Takuto suddenly pushed him against a wall. His clothes had changed into a neatly pressed white suit with gold accents. From behind him, a set of tentacles were approaching Zenkichi.  
“You never had a desire that strong to fix things.” Takuto said coldly, as the tentacles pressed Zenkichi against the wall.  
“You think you’re the only one who has ever wished things are different?” Zenkichi said, staring with his icy blue eyes. “Don’t you think that ever I wished Aoi was still here?”  
Zenkichi’s clothes had changed too, he managed to hit the tentacles with his sword. Takuto flinched.  
“Don’t ever say that. We’re not the same.” Takuto said charging against him with his gold staff. Zenkichi was barely able to dodge the blow.  
“You act like you’re the only one who understands suffering.” Zenkichi said, firing a second warning shot. “What if I told you that my own brother orchestrated Aoi’s murder and that I’ve always wanted....”  
Takuto dropped his staff. Zenkichi pushed him against a tree.  
“What… do you mean…?”  
“Shido?” Zenkichi said, pressing his sword against Takuto’s throat.   
“Fuck… I had… I had no idea.” Takuto said, falling on his knees after Zenkichi let go. “Shido is… your brother?”  
“Half-brother.” Zenkichi said. “He dumped my mother shortly after she had me. Does that sound familiar to you?”  
Takuto’s clothes went back to normal. Zenkichi was still transformed.  
“I’m sorry… I....”  
“Don’t act like you’re the only one who’s ever suffered in his life, Takuto.” Zenkichi’s clothes reverted and he leaned heavily on a tree, trying not to throw up.   
“Zenkichi… are you alright?” Takuto said. “I’m sorry… Let’s go home.”  
“I’m fine.”  
They both stood there, in complete silence. Takuto put his hand on Zenkichi’s back.  
“I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about this?”   
“No, no… We overreacted here. There’s so much we don’t know about each other yet.”  
Takuto held Zenkichi and kissed his forehead.

“OY!” A familiar voice came out from a tree. “You guys were putting a good show out there.”  
“Morgana?!” They said at the same time.   
“Did you listen to what I told Maruki?!” Zenkichi’s eyes were wide open.  
“No. We just arrived here!” Morgana said, jumping from a tree. “Come on, Futaba was able to hack Sophia into a new device so she can help us. I will be staying here, too.”  
“Futaba did what?” Zenkichi said. “Where are you staying?”  
“With you guys, of course.”  
“No way.” Zenkichi said.  
Morgana yowled and hissed.   
“Fine.” Takuto said. “You can stay in my apartment.”  
“Can we all go home?” Zenkichi said. “I’m destroyed.”

***

  
After Takuto dropped Morgana and Sophia at his apartment, he went back to Zenkichi’s place.  
“Do you want to stay?” Zenkichi asked. He knew they would both feel miserable in the morning after the “fight”.  
“Yes, I do.” Takuto answered. “But Morgana and Sophia…”  
“Morgana can sort it out himself.”  
They both sat in front of the TV and before Takuto noticed, Zenkichi was fast asleep on his shoulder. He pulled a blanket and he fell asleep too.

The morning after, Akane found them and with a shy smile, she tapped Takuto’s shoulder.  
“Good morning, Maruki-san” she said. “We should be leaving for the orphanage soon.”   
Takuto tried to sit up, but Zenkichi was still sleeping on him. He looked for his glasses.  
“Sure, absolutely.” He blushed. “Listen, Akane, this doesn’t mean what you think it does, but… oh god.”   
“No, don’t worry. Wake him up but quietly because he gets grumpy.” Akane said. “I will wait for you downstairs.”  
“Alright.” Takuto said, moving Zenkichi. “I’m sorry, Zen. I have to go with Akane. Wake up.”  
“Hmm?” Zenkichi said. “What?”  
“I have to go. I promised Akane I will go with her.”  
“Ah, right.” Zenkichi said. “Will you let me know if something happens?”  
“Yes.” Takuto kissed the top of Zenkichi’s head. “Call me if you feel bad, okay?”   
Zenkichi nodded as Takuto took his oversized hoodie and ran downstairs with Akane.  
“Sorry it took me so long!” Takuto said. “Can I help you with the bags?”  
“Yes, thank you!” She said, brightly. “So… you and dad?”  
Takuto blushed immediately. He looked down.  
“Uh…”  
“I knew it!” She said, jumping. “It’s been a while since my dad is this happy.”  
“Well… I…”  
“I kinda like you, Maruki-san.” Akane said. “Just don’t hurt my dad. I think I already hurt him quite a lot”  
“I won’t. I will do my best.”  
They walked in silence for a few blocks, enjoying the cool air. Takuto noticed that the location was familiar. Close to the temple. Close to the hospital.  
“We’re almost there, Maruki-san.”  
An old couple greeted them at the entrance. Akane seemed confused.  
“Good morning.” She said, bowing respectfully at the same time as Takuto. “My name is Hasegawa and this is Maruki-san.”   
“Good morning,” the old lady replied. “It’s so kind of you to bring food for the children and running this fundraising. Please follow me.”   
Takuto and Akane followed them inside. They noticed a few kids sitting in silence in the playground.  
“They seem to be very well-behaved, huh?”  
Takuto sighed. It was not a normal sight. They followed the couple inside and Takuto couldn’t help but notice the silent atmosphere. It didn’t sound like a place where children could possibly live. The old couple, the Shimadas, had run the orphanage since its foundation. Akane was a bit surprised, because she could have sworn the orphanage was way older than them.  
“I heard one of your kids fell ill.” Takuto said.  
“We had hoped that didn’t go public, Maruki-san.” Shimada-san said. “Some savages attacked him and he sustained multiple injuries. He kept mentioning a man in white while he was in the hospital..”  
“A man… in white?” Takuto said. “Do you think I can see him?”  
“He often wanders out from his room. It won’t be long until you come across him.” Shimada-san said, carelessly. “I just ask you don’t disturb him.”  
“Oh, I see. It’s better to leave him.” Takuto said, gently. He put on his best fake smile. “Excuse me, I have a call to make. I forgot something at work and I must remind Tanamachi-san about it.”  
Takuto exited the room quickly and he found himself in a small garden. The silence was almost deafening and full of dread. He texted Zenkichi as fast as he could.  
_“I think there is something going on, but I can’t find out with Akane here.”  
“What do you think it is?”  
“There is an injured boy and he says he remembers a man in white.”  
“Shit. That sounds like you.”_

He noticed a burning pain in his body as an arrow hit his collarbone. A second one was intercepted.  
“Oy!” Morgana said. “Step right up! You’re gonna get killed!”  
“Morgana?” Takuto noticed his clothes changed but they were stained with blood. “How did you find us?”  
“Doesn’t matter.” Morgana said, fully transformed. “You’re going to need to pull some of those tricks now. Can you make them sleep?”  
“Sleep? I think I can.” Takuto hit the ground with his staff. A shockwave ran through the ground. He heard the sound of people dropping on the floor.  
“And can you do something about your clothes?” He said. “It worked for your palace where you didn’t have to do anything but for real combat…”  
“I don’t think we have time to revise that… What do you think this is, Morgana?”  
“I think it’s not a shadow. We really need to look into this but for now… try not to die!”  
Takuto dodged a third arrow. He finally saw the small child he fought in the hospital’s parking lot.  
“It’s… him”  
“You’re the man in white… You can help me… You’re the man in white…”  
Takuto ran in the opposite direction.  
“No, you idiot! You can’t run!” Morgana said. “You have to FIGHT BACK!”  
“It wants my help!”  
“The only way you can help him is by getting rid of it!”   
“Getting rid of what?”  
“Whatever is corrupting it!” Morgana yowled. “You’re not gonna find out if you keep running!”  
“I don’t want to hurt him.”  
“It’s not human!” Morgana’s words resonated with Zenkichi’s words at the parking lot. At the very sound of it, Takuto’s Persona manifested and held the child with its tentacles.  
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” Takuto said compassionately, tightening the tentacles. “Unless you tell me what you are.”  
“I’m scared…”  
“Of what?!” Takuto tightened his grip.  
“Them. Shimada…”  
“What are they doing to you?” Takuto said. His eyes were glowing yellow. “Are they doing something to the others?”  
“They are using us…”  
Suddenly, the kid passed out and was completely unresponsive. He was still breathing but his eyes were devoid of any life. Takuto’s clothes went back to normal, he dropped on his knees and began throwing up.  
“God…”  
“You were scary out there.” Morgana said. “That’s not bad. Can you erase their memories? Futaba said you could.”  
“He… he had a shut down… a mental shut down…” Takuto gasped.   
“Let’s not focus on that. Get rid of Shimada’s memories and let’s get Akane out from this place.”

Using the last of his strength, he moved the kid back to his room. He retrieved Akane and left as quickly as his body allowed him. He didn’t notice that the other children stared at him firmly but refused to move. 

***

  
Takuto spent the rest of the afternoon inside the bathroom of his apartment. Morgana wasn’t able to get him to say a word. It was not unusual for him to take long baths to think, but his body ached more than he thought possible, he didn’t even bother removing his clothes or checking the wound on his collarbone. He was crying silently over the fact he caused a mental shut down on another person. When Zenkichi arrived and pulled him out from the bathtub, he broke down sobbing.“I got a name, Zenkichi.”  
“That doesn’t matter now. You’re bleeding.” Zenkichi kissed him, both mad at the wound on Takuto’s body but thankful he was alive. “Thanks for bringing Akane home safely.”  
“We need to find out what’s going on.”  
“You’re not going anywhere.” Zenkichi said, cleaning the tears from his face. “You didn’t do anything wrong.   
“He’s not alive anymore… He breathes… But he is not himself anymore.”  
“Maybe if we get to the bottom of this we can save them. Takuto, this was not your fault.”  
Takuto sobbed quietly until he passed out. A few hours after that, he woke up and sighed.  
“Shimada.”  
A soft voice came from the other side of the room.  
“ _I am Sophia, a good friend to humanity. Did you need help finding information about the Shimadas?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tremendously sorry I couldn't keep up with Maruki Week! But I will try my best to complete the prompts as this story develops. Thanks for keeping up with me.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated and lovingly made for Gil! @historilocked on Twitter. I hope this can help us with our Hasemaru propaganda uwu 
> 
> This work will be retcon-ed when/if P5S is released on the West. Apologies for any inconsistencies.


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